I never wanted to hurt you
by TaichiforSora
Summary: Set a year after the events of Digimon Tri. Sora, Taichi, and Yamato are preparing to attend university and truly step into adulthood, while still reflecting on the battle against Ordinemon. A recent incident plagues the group, and Sora fears that the Digidestined will grow apart as they get older, especially with her childhood best friend Taichi. Meanwhile a new threat arises.
1. Preview Chapter

Preview for a chapter later in the story. Looking to see if there is interest in the expansion of this story. Please read and comment. Thanks.

The figure lead Sora through a series of dingy and twisting corridors, only the dim glow of occasional candle fixtures differentiated the air surrounding her from the obsidian cobblestone walls and floor. Aside from the pair's footsteps echoing endlessly down the long passageways, the journey was bathed in an unsettling silence. Sora had desperately tried to remember their route, and to glimpse any sign of an exit, but looking back at ethereal hallways behind her only served to make her head spin and her stomach churn. It seemed as if this place, whatever it was, had been constantly shifting and changing as they traveled. She had no idea for how long they had been walking, however she quickly surmised that she had become hopelessly lost, forgetting the way back to the cells and the others. She became so focused on the figure slowly lumbering through the shadows in front of her that the bearer of the crest of love had not realized that she was violently shaking due to frayed nerves. Between the stranger's cryptic words, the ominous atmosphere, the digidestined having been found in cells, and her best friend suddenly missing in action; Sora was filled with a dread that threatened to overwhelm her. She could only move forward from here, and hope that this figure meant no harm to her and her friends.

What felt like hours passed, yet she did not fatigue, at least not physically; the tension between her and the stranger increased with each step forward, which cause her more anxiety than she would have otherwise thought imaginable. Perhaps so enthralled by her circumstance, that her likely aching feet did not register with her brain.

Suddenly, and without warning the figure stopped mid-step and for a moment stood at attention like a gargoyle, still and lifeless. This caused Sora to snap back to reality, and quickly backstep to avoid walking right into the gloomy statuesque character before her. Breathing heavily and cloaked in darkness, she stood there, waiting for the figure to say anything, to do anything. And after a moment he did, she could distinguish through the dim distance between them, that the figure raised its arm, methodically drawing an unknown symbol in front of the nearest wall. Sora could not discern this wall from the previous dark cracked stone that made up this labyrinth; yet knew there must be some meaning to this bizarre exploit. After a few seconds, a black cloud began to form, swirling and howling until the shape of an elaborate doorway materialized out of the haze.

A grand but disconcerting sight, wide enough to permit perhaps five of adult humans at once; the black steel gating on either side shimmered slightly in the faint candle light. Each dark steel post was adorned with a blood red iron spike, which must have been over twelve centimeters in length, culminating in a threating sharp edge. Though the base and center of this gateway was abnormally large, it too met at a single peak embellishing the top of the doorway. A winding line of the crimson steel followed the door's upper lining to its peak. Sora stared in a daze at the unsettling entryway, wondering if it would give way to an exit. However, it took her several moments to realize that this gateway was already open, for the space beyond it was somehow even darker than the labyrinth. Even the dim light of the candles on the wall behind them could not seem to pierce that void. She was, rather unsurprisingly, struck by an ominous feeling about continuing forward; when almost on cue, the figure spoke for the first time in what felt like hours.

Slowly moving his cloaked arm in the direction of the darkness. "This is as far as I shall accompany you, bearer of love. Continue through the gateway." He stated simply in that raspy voice, sounding much more like a command rather than advice.

Sora continued to stand there however, feeling as though she was at her wits end as she stared into the abyss before her. She wanted to ask him anything about the situation, but she had a bizarre feeling if she opened her mouth she would scream out in terror. Her muscles too seemed to lock up as she gazed beyond the gateway.

"Do not waste time, he does not have much left." Sora heard the voice this time as if he was behind her now, inches from her neck.

Out of pure adrenaline and instinct she spun around to face the cloaked figure. But there was nobody behind her, simply the candles flickering on the wall. She looked left, right, and back at the gate, but found she was suddenly alone in the corridor. The stranger's last words hung in the air around her. "…Taichi?" She uttered almost subconsciously, shaken as she tried to put meaning to the words the stranger just uttered.

Nearly paralyzed with fear, she knew now in her gut that Taichi was in danger. Still, she did not know if she could continue into the darkness alone. Until suddenly memories flooded her mind. Memories she had not reflected upon for years, yet they seemed to play out like a movie right before her eyes.

She was eleven years old again, strapped to a cold steel table, which sent a chill down her spine even now. She had been kidnapped by Nanomon, a virus machine Digimon who planned to clone her so that he might use the power of her Crest and Digivice for his own malicious purposes. She could only lay there as she was scanned, and her clone started to materialize on the other side of the room. Soon she would be replaced and killed, while her partner Piyomon would become a slave to Nanomon. It all seemed hopeless, until a familiar voice suddenly called out to her. Craning her neck all the way to the right, she could make out her childhood best friend standing in the doorway.

"Taichi!" Sora called out in unison with her eleven-year-old self, the sound reverberated down the labyrinth until it dissipated in the distance. Only for Sora to realize that she was still alone in the corridor. _That memory felt so real_ … Back then Taichi had faced his fear of death by passing through an electrical fence to save her. When they were young teenagers, Mimi had told Sora how Taichi had cried for her that day, one of the only times anyone could recall seeing the bearer or courage shed tears. Taichi had blamed himself for getting her captured and seemed terrified that something might happen to her. She did not know why this memory choose to resurface now after all these years. However, one thing was clear to Sora, their roles were now reversed. Based on the stranger's words and the feeling in the pit of her stomach, Taichi was in danger, perhaps mortal danger.

Her hand gripped at her chest through her shirt, as she stood there, thinking of her childhood best friend. "Hold on Taichi…" She whispered to herself. Turning back towards the gateway, Sora clenched shut her fists and eyelids, and took off in a sprint straight through the entrance. _I must face my fears, like he did that day…_


	2. Chapter 1 -Omens

Just a quick warning, this story is going to be a bit intense at times. Certainly, earning a mature rating. If this isn't your style, I plan to write some lighter work in the not too distant future.

Chapter 1: Omens

The sun glistened lustrously over Tokyo's streets on what felt to Sora Takenouchi like the perfect spring day. As she steadily strolled home from her design firm, she took in the gentle afternoon warmth, the general commotion of the city streets, and even the kids happily playing in the spacious new park down the street from her apartment. In fact, the sight of dozens of children exploring a rather impressive jungle gym she had never noticed before, caused her to take a short break from her journey home. In the center of the jungle gym there loomed three large multileveled and multicolored towers, each tower having its own color scheme, and all connecting to form a large castle of sorts. Strewn around the castle were puzzles, climbing ropes, bridges, swings, monkey bars, and of course slides. Watching the children race around with that natural adventurous spirit filled Sora with the nostalgia for childhood, and once again, as had often been the case recently, made her fantasize about what it might be like to have children of her own soon.

 _Perhaps two children._ She quietly mused to herself. _Somebody to grow up alongside and to lean on in times of trouble._ She never hated being an only child growing up but had to admit it could be quite lonely at times, fortunately friends were rarely ever in short supply when she was young. Especially when her childhood best friend was nearly a brother to her, especially in times when she desperately needed that role to be filled. She could always rely on him when it counted. Even when they fought and enraged one another, Sora always knew that he would rush to her side with blind passion if ever she was in danger or was simply feeling unloved. _How long has it been?_ Her thoughts shifted momentarily before the laughs of children snapped her back to her previous train of thought. _But would I prefer girls, or boys, or both for that matter._ Sora knew as most parents, that she would love her children regardless of their gender or personality, but it was a fun exercise of her imagination none the less.

After some time, Sora realized that her little detour by the park had gone on for longer than she anticipated, as she had seemed to lose track of time and space for a moment. Sora shook herself back to reality both physically and mentally. Looking around, she warmly smiled at a few nearby parents who had noticed her presence, they returned the gesture. A silent appreciation shared for such a peaceful day. Picking up her work bags, which until now, she hadn't realized she had set down on the grass next to her, Sora began the final leg of her journey home.

A few short moments later Sora was climbing up towards her apartment's floor and felt a sense of respite as her front door came into sight. As nice as today had been, it was good to be home again. She took one last look at the afternoon sun sweeping over the still rowdy Tokyo streets, before turning her attention to her bag to fumble for her keys. Only to find upon testing the door, that it had been left unlocked for her.

Sora swung the heavy wood door open with just enough energy to announce her arrival home. Closing the door behind her Sora turned to the to the post-modern décor which she meticulously laid out herself upon moving into this space for the first time. After taking off her work shoes, Sora laid her work bag down on a nearby living room glass table and hung her light spring coat in the entrance closet. She quickly became aware of a wonderful and complex scent of spices flowing through her living space. She grinned to herself. _Dinner_. She quickly made her way to the kitchen which was the next room over down the hallway.

"You took your time getting home today." A soothing voice teased as she entered the kitchen.

"It's not my fault only one of us can appreciate such beautiful weather like today" She retorted in a snap, though her tone revealed her playful mood.

Yamato Ishida lowered the heat on the stove in front of him, placed his utensils down on the counter, and turned to face Sora. He was wearing black slacks, a close-fitting black t-shirt, and an apron that Sora herself had designed for him. After all he spent so much time in the kitchen when he was home. The apron was a deep midnight blue, with shimmering speckles that seemed like starlight against a night sky. He approached her slowly and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You know" he said gazing down at her "Some of us had enough of nature and the beauty of the outdoors, after spending so much time stuck in the digital world." His teasing continued.

Sora simply tightened her glare, crossed her arms, and responded with a "Hmpf."

After a moment the pair broke into a giggle together. And enjoyed one another's company. "So how was your day?" He asked finally breaking the silence.

"It was wonderful" She responded excitedly, with an energy that again remembered her of her childhood. "I think I'm on the cusp of a breakthrough with my new summer lineup at work."

"That's fantastic" He smiled with cheerfulness that she only saw from time to time on her generally stoic fiancé. "I can't wait to see how this one comes out" Turning his head back to the pot on the oven, she released her hold on him so he could continue cooking.

"Smells delicious" She said standing slightly behind him now. "What's for dinner?" She wasn't starving when she walked in the door, but she sure as heck felt her stomach calling out to her now.

"A spicy chicken curry, some kimchi, freshly baked bread, and a seaweed salad. I figured since I was off for the day I would…spice things up?" He voices, drawing each word of the pun out for her to hear.

"If it didn't smell so good, I'd dunk your head in it" She gently elbows him, and he rushes to guard his sides. Her fiancé was always on the sensitive side, both physically and emotionally, so she wasn't surprised when this earned her a semi-serious glare.

"Hey" he snaps and turns his head back to the food "If you want it to taste good too, let me focus."

Sora giggles to herself and backs off, her competitive spirit telling her she had won this round.

"So" She begins, and he nods for her to continue. "If you must know the reason that I was late today, it was because I took a little break by the park. It seems they built a new jungle gym towards the end of winter, and it looked so fun that I was tempted to take it out for a spin myself."

"Is that so" He giggles stirring the pot. "That would have been quite the sight."

"Worry not, your fiancé contained herself" She joked only to turn more serious suddenly. "It reminded me so much of us as kids, and it got me thinking, I wonder if Taichi is free this weekend. It suddenly feels like its been so long since I've seen him, and I found myself strangely missing him today."

Yamato stopped stirring suddenly and stiffened. "Who?"

Sora giggled again ready to continue their silly little game, but something in his tone knocked the air out of her. After a moment of awkward silence, she spoke again. "Taichi, you know? Yagami Taichi."

Yamato dropped his mixing spoon and turned to gaze down at her. Just now it felt as if he towered over her. Sora suddenly felt very intimidated by her fiancé. His blue eyes unexpectedly turned cold. "And why the fuck would you want to see that loser exactly?"

Sora was taken aback by the sudden aggression. _What has gotten into him, if he thinks I'm going to stand for that_ … "Excuse me, Mr. I don't know what silly fight you two have gotten into, but you're talking about my best friend, and you of all people should know that's something I'm not going to put up with."

His gaze was still cold but now a bit confused as well. He spread his arms out defensively, as if he was taken by surprise as much as she had been. "Sora, Taichi, your best friend? Maybe when we were kids." He snorted. "Sora are you feeling ok?"

In fact, Sora was not feeling ok, out of seemingly nowhere, her head was spinning, and her stomach was churning. "Yamato, what is this about? She demanded, changing the subject.

"Sora, you said so yourself, Taichi is nothing but a coward, who doesn't care about anyone else's feelings but his own. He can't be happy for other people, and he only wants what he can't have."

Sora knew Yamato was speaking Japanese, but right now the words assailing her eardrums felt like nonsense. "Don't you dare put words like those in my mouth." She took a step back and took a breath to calm herself. "Look, Yamato, whatever happened, I'm sure I can talk to him about it, I'll go see him this weekend and find out what's wrong. I'm not going to let the two most important men in my life hate each other like this…honestly, its like you two fighting as children all over again." She scoffed trying to hold back her nausea.

The confusion and concern in his face is almost entirely replaced by an unbridled rage as Sora speaks. He's cornering her now, and a sense of dread looms over the kitchen. "And where exactly do you plan to find him to go talk to him? He jumped on a plane years ago, without saying goodbye, without telling even his family where he was going. Off to who knows what god forsaken country just so he can run from his problems, like he's done for years. Breaking that poor girl's heart…" He's shouting down at her now, and Sora who was braver than most, found herself shivering in the corner of their kitchen. _It couldn't be, I've seen Taichi recently, haven't I?_ Her vision blurred, and Yamato and the room seemed like twisting shadows in front of her very eyes. "HE MIGHT BE DEAD FOR ALL WE KNOW. AND IF SO, I SAY GOOD RIDDANCE!"

In a flash of light and a deafening sound, Yamato was suddenly stumbling backwoods away from her and onto the kitchen floor. Sora felt a throbbing sensation and looked down only to see her right hand was clenched in a tight fist. Sora gasped, swiftly covering her mouth with her now throbbing hand. Sora hated violence and never raised her hand to hurt anyone, especially her fiancé. Yet, when Yamato uttered those cruel words, Sora felt an almost instinctive urge to protect her childhood best friend, even against her soon to be husband. His shadowy figure writhed in pain and glared at her from the floor, his eyes suddenly appeared cold and dead.

"Never say anything like that again" she ordered firmly after finding her voice. "I'm going to go find the other digidestined and see if they've heard from Taichi" She promptly turns around and goes to grab her coat, when something makes her freeze in place.

"Other digidestined?" The soothing voice of the man she had know for years was gone now. The being she turned to confront, spoke in what felt like a dozen voices in one, almost laughing at her now. "What other digidestined?" The voices taunted. "They left us behind Sora. They left you behind." Sora tried to cover her ears, as the rumbling of the voices sounded like a swarm of hornets surrounding her, cutting off her senses. "So much for the chosen children," The voices mocked. The creature before Sora transformed, no longer resembling Yamato Ishida, but rather some kind of gaunt phantasm, that rose from the floor shrouded in a thick blanket of darkness. "Where will you go Takenouchi Sora, when there is no one left, when your loved ones have all gone?" The stumbling ghoul hisses at her, slowly lurching forward. Sora could not tell if this new creature before her was some dark Digimon or perhaps something else entirely. Regardless, the being radiated with an evil energy, and she had no intention of sticking around.

"You're not Yamato! Whatever you are leave me alone!" Adrenaline courses through the young woman's body, returning control to her at last. She turns and bolts through the front door. Sora needed to find her friends, she knew they would keep her safe. She looks over the railing, and while she could have sworn, she was in the apartment for no more than twenty minutes, the sky had turned a pitch black with no moon in sight, and the previously bustling city streets had become barren and silent. An Icey cold blast of wind cut through Sora like a knife, but with the creature shrieking behind her, she could not afford to stop moving.

Sora vaulted down the couple of flights of apartment steps and produced her phone from her pocket as she approached the bottom. _I need their help, I might not make it otherwise._ In a panic Sora dialed Mimi's number and pressed the receiver to her ear as she rushed off down the empty street towards the park. Her phone simply rang and rang some more, after what felt like an eternity, there was a voice on the other end. _I'm sorry but this number is no longer in service_. She cursed under her breath but kept running. One after another she dialed their numbers: Koshiro, Hikari, Jo, Takeru, Yamato, and finally Taichi. Praying with all her heart to hear her childhood best friend promising to protect her, like he always used to. But each call resulted in the same automated message. _What happened to us?_ Tears began streaming from her eyes as Sora began to feel hopeless and utterly lost. Sora couldn't remember how she got into this situation in the first place, everything felt cloudy. But her survival instincts were begging her to focus on living for now, there would be time to figure things out after she was out of harm's way.

Behind Sora the creature, which was clearly increasing in size, smashed its way out of the apartment and leapt from the balcony, plummeting to the street below. Sora did not stop to watch it fall however, as something in her gut told her the drop would not kill it. Sora channeled her early days of playing soccer with Taichi and took off sprinting at her top speed through the gloomy streets. She had forgotten she could run this fast. She ran for as long as she could, and after her lungs burned and her muscled ached, she soon caught sight of the jungle gym she had passed earlier that day. Now however, it was as sparse and deserted as the streets.

Though the creature was nowhere in sight, Sora could feel it approaching in her bones. She knew she couldn't outrun it forever and figured if she hid now and waited for it to pass, she could then figure out a plan in relative safety. On a strange instinctive whim, Sora ran off the street, through a grassy field and towards the jungle gym. There were several covered parts of playground and she hoped that whatever foul thing was chasing her, would not think to look for her there. Besides, all the nearby apartments required someone to buzz you in, and the stores looked closed. _Where else could I even go without him catching me first?_ In the distance she could hear a nearly indescribable snarl, which confirmed that the creature was still on her trail. Sora pocketed her phone and ran over to the nearest climbing rope on the jungle gym. Gripping it hard with both hands she began make her way up the wall of the castle. Still in excellent shape for her age, she managed to make it over the wall in no time. The rope led Sora to the middle of a suspension bridge that connected two of the three castle towers. To her left stood the tallest tower, orange and red in coloration, with an internal rock-climbing wall. To her right was a medium sized tower which was blue and green, and held a series of ladders. Climbing either tower would lead Sora to an interior section closed off to the outside air, hopefully hiding her from her pursuer. Sora figured the ladders would be a safer bet and moved across the bridge climb the middle tower. At the top of the tower, she found herself within a small clubhouse style room, clearly meant for kids to hang out in. She crouched down away from the ladders and attempted to make herself small.

It seemed that Sora had made it to her hiding spot with not a second to spare, as suddenly the distant cries of the creature became a booming nightmare. It was here. Sora curled up into a tight ball, and pressed a hand to her mouth, attempting to control her breathing. But she did not take her eyes off the tower's opening for an instant. The entirety of the plastic, metal, and wood castle violently shook as the creature searched for its prey, it felt as though the jungle gym might collapse around her.

"I know you're here" The voices thundered "Come on Sora. Let's search for Taichi together… then you can watch him die!" Sora struggled to control her fear, it sounded as though this monster's voice was coming from every direction. Through the gloom she could just barely recognize dark tentacles sliding past the towers opening. Sora thought for sure she was finished, when suddenly the voices and rumbling simply stopped and were replaced by a dense silence.

Fearing the calm to be part of a trap, Sora refused to leave whatever safety her tower offered her.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

She waited until it had felt like hours had passed, and yet she still heard nothing. Without thinking Sora's curiosity got the better of her. She released herself from the fetal position she had been hiding in, then slowly and cautiously made her way back down the ladders. Once at the entrance, she peaked outside the door frame, and only saw the forest around her. Hating herself for the decision, while feeling she had no choice in the matter, Sora stepped outside and started across the platform, when suddenly she stepped on something soft that made her whole-body freeze.

Sora's eyes darted to the spot where her foot had landed, but it took her eyes a second to adjust in the eerie darkness. What Sora then saw, made her heart stop beating for a moment. She wanted to gag or cry out. But she knew it would mean certain death for her. She had stepped on a body, but not just any body. This was the body of Takeru Ishida, Yamato's younger brother, and a member of the digidestined. The way Takeru was splayed, and the disconcerting way that his eyes laid still and open, spoke to Sora of a reality she could not accept, the young boy was dead. _It can't be…this body it wasn't here before. I know it wasn't. I would have seen it._ Her emotions were overwhelming her, yet when she looked around, her living nightmare escalated even further. Spread across the playground there were dozens of corpses, some whole, some nearly torn to shreds. Sora bite down hard on her right hand to stop herself from screaming, and blood trickled freely down her wrist. Sora could make out each of them: Takeru, Mimi, Jo, Yamato, Meiko, and Koshiro. Not to mention the younger digidestined. All spread across the playground.

In that moment Sora's sanity began to leave her as her mind rejected the images before her. _Did they come here to protect me? To save me? Did that thing kill everyone I love? I am truly alone in this hell?_ Just when she was fighting the loss of consciousness, a sound pierced her ears that made her stumble and fall onto the hanging bridge. At first, she had thought the creature had returned to finish the job, only to realize after a moment, somebody was crying. From the sounds of it, a small child in fact. Sora's motherly instinct, which was so famous around her friends, kicked in at that moment. Sora made her way back across the other bridge to the orange and red tower, she opted not to hide inside of. At the base lay the body of Yagami Hikari, Taichi's younger sister. Except unlike the others she wasn't dead, not just yet.

"Hikari!" Sora couldn't help but yell out as she knelt next to the girl she thought of as a sister. Sora cradled Hikari's head in her arms, as the young girl gasped for breath.

"You're here" Hikari wheezed in Sora's chest "It came for us one at a time… we didn't stand a chance Sora… why didn't…"

"Hikari you'll be ok" Sora spoke gently, trying to convince herself as much as the girl in her arms "The creature said Taichi is still alive, we'll find him, he'll keep us safe, it's what he's always done. You know he wouldn't let anything bad happen to us." Just then however Hikari went limp in Sora's arms and she was gone.

Tears streamed freely from Sora, and the sound of tears coming from the tallest tower continued. _It wasn't Hikari crying?_ Sora laid Hikari down with the gentlest touch possible. If anybody has survived this hell, she needed to see another friendly face. And if it really was a child lost in the darkness, she would not let them share this fate. Sora entered the tower and filled with a new determination approached the rock wall and began to climb, refusing to let her aching body hold her back. The rock wall was tall enough that the top was masked in the inky blackness of this moonless night. This made it especially difficult to spot her next foothold as she had to really focus her eyes to make out the rough shapes of the rocks ahead of her.

Though she stumbled a few times, bruising herself in the process, Sora eventually made her way to the top of the tower. The rock wall led to a hole in the ceiling which opened to an even bigger room than the one she had hid inside previously. If not the for quiet weeping, Sora would have assumed that the dark room was empty. The room was large enough that she could only really make out the rough colorless shapes of things about a yard in front of her. Sora pressed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and listened for the gentle weeping. It sounded as if the source of the crying was trying to keep as quiet as possible, but after patiently waiting for a few moments, she picked up the direction of tiny labored breaths. She was sure now that it was a child trapped in this tower, seemingly all alone for who knows how long.

Not wanting to frighten them, Sora approached slowly. Dodging games and puzzles along the way to the corner of the room.

"I'm not going to hurt you" Sora whispered, still terrified that the creature would return if they were too loud. "I promise I will get out you of here safely." She said attempting to sooth the child's fears.

There was movement at that moment, under a small table in the corner of the room. Sora could make out a shadow pressing against the corner trying to make itself small and out of sight. She approached the table and very slowly knelt down to the floor, the child was sobbing gently again.

"My name is Sora Takenouchi" She spoke gently above a whisper. "I swear that I will never hurt you as long as I live, I will get you out of here and to safety." After a moment of kneeling beside the table, she could hear the sobbing slow.

"Sora?" a shaky and childish voice said. Then the air was knocked from Sora's lungs as the shadow lunged out from under the table and wrapped a small pair of arms around her waist. "You came! I knew you would come! I thought you really hated me like the others! Sora please don't hate me, I don't want to be alone anymore" The voice said breaking into a sob again.

The child's skin was freezing to the touch and Sora could tell that he was shirtless. Looking down at her chest, she could see a big bushy puff of hair, and the thin arms that held her in a bear hug. _It can't be! This isn't possible!_ "Taichi?" It was the only word she could force out of her throat, suddenly wanting to cry as well. The boy vigorously nodded in her arms. Sora moved her right arm to the youngster's backside to complete the hug. But this caused the boy to wince and yelp out in pain.

Sora pulled her arm back in shock and could just make out fresh blood on her arm and gasped to herself. He was injured. She didn't know how it was possible, but her best friend was a child again, and something or someone had attacked him. Sora quickly took his head in her embrace and soothed him like a mother to a crying child. Gently rubbing her fingers through his wild hair. She has clearly caused him significant pain, rubbing against open wounds on his back. It was a few moments before she could feel her best friend relax in her arms again, and his breathing slow.

"Taichi…I'm so sorry I didn't know" She whispered directly into his right ear. "What happened Taichi? Who hurt you like this?" She pleaded gently for the answers of questions which were now plaguing her mind. However, his head turned around at this moment, as though he was afraid to speak of his attacker. She gently lifted his chin as to meet his gaze. _He looks so…broken._ "Taichi… please. I need you to talk to me." She pleaded almost choking on her words now.

"You asked me to do it Sora, I really didn't want to…but you seemed so excited, and you said it would help me feel better. You told me to trust you because we are best friends. You said it would all work out, that I just needed to give it a chance and see." He was sobbing uncontrollably now. Sora was dumbfounded, and yet something in the far reaches of her mind told her she knew exactly what he was talking about. But it just wasn't coming to her. "I tried! I honestly did Sora, I tried so hard for you. But everything fell apart, and now everyone hates me…now you hate me" He blubbered like a lost child, forgetting to attempt to contain his noise now.

Sora wanted to say that nobody hated him, that she could never hate him. But every time she attempted to speak them, the words became caught and jumbled in her throat. _It can't be true, it just can't be…_

Taichi continued when Sora said nothing. "I wanna go back to the way to the way things were Sora, when we were still the digidestined, before everything hurt so much. When you were my best friend. Why did it have to fall apart Sora?" She had no idea why, but Sora had lost the ability to sooth him, her body and voice simply would not allow her to ease her troubled friend.

Sora may have lost her voice, but she refused to let this continue. Sora stood up and scooped Taichi up in her arms, which must have hurt him as he writhed in pain. She hated hurting him, but there was no avoiding it now, she needed to get him somewhere safe. _I will not lose him._

She approached the rock-climbing wall at the center of the room, and her brain scrambled for a way to bring him down safely. Sora sat on the edge with him, terrified to put him down, but not sure how to continue.

"Sora you asked me to do it, for both of us, you asked me. But you never even told the others, even when they all started getting mad at me. Even when Hikari stopped talking to me… Why did you leave me alone in darkness?"

In that moment, everything clicked in Sora's head, she remembered it all clearly. "You're talking about Meiko!" Taichi winced again in her arms, but this time not from the pain. _How could I forget_ …

Just as everything came back to Sora, suddenly the creature's roar returned. She was jolted back to reality but had no time to react. A slimy black tentacle wrapped itself around Taichi's leg and snapped him from her grip. Before she knew it, his frail body was being dragged down the rock wall, making sickening smacks as he was smashed against it, and out of the tower.

"You won't have him! Not Taichi!" Sora shouted with fire burning in her veins. Without thinking, she jumped the height of the rock-climbing wall and bolted outside and back onto the closest bridge.

The creature who had disguised itself as Yamato previously, stood before Sora in front of the castle, except now it towered over the jungle gym. Sora looked around and quickly found Taichi. He was dangling perhaps six meters above the ground, flailing in the creature's grip.

"I told you that you would watch him die!" The voices dug into her eardrums again like knives. Only to wrap another tentacle around Taichi's slim neck.

"Sora you to need to run!" Taichi shouted with a courage that reminded Sora that he had been the leader of the digidestined.

But their friends were gone, and their Digimon nowhere in sight. Taichi screamed in excruciating pain as the creature tugged his upper and lower body in opposite directions. Threatening to snap his body in half. Sora needed to do something, she would not simply watch as she lost everything she ever loved.

Sora rushed to think of a way to free him, when a deafening sound filled her ears.

 _Ring Ring Ring…Ring Ring Ring. Ring Ring Ring_

Sora felt sick to her stomach, and tears welled in her eyes. A blinding brightness filled her vision, and she panicked as she no longer knew where Taichi was, or where she was for that matter. Her figure was drenched in a thick blanket of sweat, and her breathing was heavily labored. Her body felt as it was frozen in time, and would not react to her commands, all the while a weight on chest felt as though it was suffocating her. Sora felt an animalistic scream rising in her throat, when suddenly a voice broke the panic.

"Sora dear, is everything alright, are you sick?" It was her mother's voice speaking to her, she would recognize it anywhere. "Your alarm has been going off for over ten minutes, your going to be late for school if you don't hurry."

Sora took a deep breath to try to alleviate the stress. She was in her bed under her covers. _It was just a nightmare_. She breathed heavily, still severely panicked. It was the most vivid and terrifying nightmare that Sora had ever had in her entire life.

"Sorry mom" she responded, feeling her mother would become suspicious otherwise. "I just had a rough night's sleep, I'll start getting ready, thank you for checking on me."

There was a pause before her mother spoke again, perhaps weighing how to respond to her daughter. "No problem sweetie, just hurry up, Yamato will be here soon to walk you to school, I know you'll want to be looking your best." Her mom finished with a slight giggle, before Sora heard her continue down the hallway, most likely to the kitchen.

Sora could not help but flinch at the mention of her boyfriend's name, her nightmare still fresh in her mind. After a moment to calm her mind, Sora jumped out of bed, hoping to never experience a night terror like that again. She looked to her bedside table only to see it currently dotted with pictures of herself, Yamato, Mimi, and other friends. Sora's recently woken mind was confused at the sight. _Where are they?_ She asked herself.

Sora's eyes drifted to the left of her bedside table, and what she saw finally pushed her emotions over the edge. She fell to her knees and she pressed her hands to the sides of her head as tears streaked down her troubled face. _No, how could I be so stupid_. She reached over to small garbage bin in the corner of her room, and began pulling things out of it, quietly sobbing as she did. The bin was entirely full of pictures and mementos she had built up over years with Taichi. Photos of them playing soccer together, school photos, birthday presents and cards, a letter he wrote her years ago, and finally at the bottom of the trash bin lay a small but very important hair clip.

Sora clutched the clip to her face, breaking down even further on her bedroom floor. She had attempted to throw out her best friend, to discard him like some unwanted item. She finally understood her nightmare.

"Taichi" She sniffled quietly to herself "I'm going to make things right. I won't let the digidestined fall apparent. I won't leave you alone in darkness."

*Authors note* That's the first chapter complete. It will make sense over time how the prologue is linked to Sora's nightmare, and the incident that fractured the digidestined team. I can't promise regular updates, but I plan to keep working on this when I can. Let me know what you think, and if you have any feedback. Thank you to everyone who read followed and reviewed the prologue.


	3. Chapter 2-Past and Present

Chapter 3: Past and Present

Thank you for the previous reviews and follows, please review if you feel that this story is worth continuing.

The next fifteen minutes blurred by for Sora as she rushed to get ready for school, so to avoid tardiness on a near perfect record. Most mornings, Sora would get up bright and early to avoid this exact situation from occurring. She had gotten into the habit of spending extra time in the morning to figure out exactly what she was in the mood to wear for the day. Though Sora and her classmates wore uniforms to Odaiba high, like most students in Japan, they would often change at the end of the day to something more relaxed. Especially if they were not going straight home after classes. It was a way for the young teenagers to express themselves and spend their afternoons in comfort. While she still maintained many of the tendencies from her youth, to her own surprise in fact, Sora's interest in fashion had grown into something of a passion project and hobby. A development that always seemed to confuse the two most important men in Sora's life, Taichi and Yamato, as the trio grew up together. Yamato found it perplexing but warmed up to the idea soon enough. And while he never complained about it, and even complicated her outfits from time to time, she always got the sense that her childhood best friend Taichi missed her old tomboy aesthetic. But she had since grown up. And while she would always be a bit of a tomboy at heart, she now enjoyed matching clothing in new and interest ways, and just feeling more feminine in how she presented herself publicly.

Still, she was far from what some would stereotype "girly girls" as being delicate or dependent. She still maintained a physically active lifestyle and was never afraid to go toe to toe with somebody whenever the need arose, regardless of whether it was a friend or foe she had to stand up to. Though truthfully Sora despised conflict and always had, especially thanks to her time in the digital world, she had learned to face it head on, and had become quite efficient as easing tensions before an issue escalated out of control. And considering the way in which Taichi and Yamato had been at each other's throats throughout the years, it was a very relevant skill for her to develop. None of her friends or family for that matter would dispute that Sora had matured and grown much since their childhood adventures. And now, with university around the corner, it seemed as though the biggest changes had yet to come. Something that had until very recently been an exciting prospect to Sora.

Perhaps it was the fact that going away to college was now a much closer reality. Or perhaps even more pressing in her mind, was the reunion of the Digidestined and their Digimon almost a year ago exactly, to face threats to the human and digital world, and that it seemed she might be leaving that part of her life behind her, conceivably for good.

Recently Sora had decided to crop her hair short again. Though she never verbally acknowledged the fact, the style was a clear call back to her younger years. Back when one of her trademark knit hats practically never left her head. Since high school she had put the hats aside and allowed her pixie cut hair to grow to shoulder length. It felt like a natural extension to her changing fashion and interests. Though now several years later, something in their recent adventure planted the seeds of a very different change within Sora's mind. In the months following the defeat of King Drasil's plots, Sora had experienced a childlike nostalgia rising within her, and sensation that had not since waivered. While their battle against Ordinemon brought with it no shortage of loss and sorrow, she had to admit it was wonderful to feel like a united team fighting for good once again. After all, they had been chosen from a very young age to wage a war against evil, how could they possibly go on to live normal lives now that the fight was behind them?

So, on a last-minute whim that felt just as natural as letting it grow out years ago, Sora cut most of her hair off again, but choose to leave her signature hat behind. Her now boyfriend, Yamato, fell somehow oblivious to the what was a rather obvious physical alternation, which she found to be both endearing and extremely frustrating at the same time. He of course quickly found himself backpedaling from prior comments, to much of his younger brothers teasing, as he made extra effort to compliment her renewed hairstyle. Conversely, the first time Taichi saw her new haircut, Sora found to mutual embarrassment, that he could not stop gawking at her, a small but noticeable smile painted on the teenager's face, which he displayed far less frequently in recent years. Stumbling over his words from the second he saw her, flush red with an almost uncharacteristically sheepish blush. Thinking about it Sora always found that she could reach her best friend emotionally in ways that that most others simply could not. In her mind, Sora reveled in the polar opposite reactions of the two people that she could not imagine her life without. They had both grown so much over the years, all the Digidestined had, and yet they kept true to their guiding characteristics that Sora had fallen in love with as a child. Sora could swear that sometimes when she heard Taichi calling her name, she half expected to turn around and see her eleven-year-old best friend standing there with a goofy grin on his face.

Her mind lingered on these ever changing yet ever similar aspects of her life as she finished changing for the day. All the while, the memory of this morning's nightmare creeped menacingly at the back of her mind, as if waiting to strike out at her once again, this time to kill. Despite the storm of nearly scalding droplets, she had found herself shivering and trembling during her all too brief wake-up shower. Fortunately for Sora this morning, the brief distraction that was nostalgic thought came all too easy to her troubled mind. Following a bizarre nightmare and an ensuing episode this morning, it was as if her memories knew she desperately needed a break from her more negative musings. Yet every fond remembrance of her lifelong best friend, no matter how slight or fleeting, gave the teen goosebumps as the nightmare rasped at her conscious mind.

One of these instances occurred as she looked herself over in the bedroom's full-sized, oak lined, standing mirror. Her reflection now solemnly frowned back at her, she looked beaten down and weary, as though she had not a moment's sleep last night. Sora signed loudly to herself, not satisfied with the rush job. Her short hair was clearly still wet in a few spots and felt matted to her scalp, pointing in different directions despite her exhaustive efforts to bring it into line. She had applied a light layer of concealer to little avail in her opinion. She could still easily spot the bags under her eyes, and the eyes themselves were still slightly pink and irritated.

 _There would be no hiding this from Yamato_. She thought with rising frustration. _Unless he woke up on an extra obvious side of them bed this morning, and even then…_

She considered the reactions she would receive from her boyfriend and classmates as she scowled slightly at her second self. She did not have much more luck with her after school clothing. She first reached for a vibrant orange athletic and close-fitting T-shirt that Taichi had gotten her only a few months back. She remembered giving him a bit of a hard time about it, as was often the case with the pair, in gift giving and in general. They would often bicker and fight only to be apologizing and laughing about it, hours to even sometimes mere minutes later. Sora never meant to be ungrateful or rude, but he just had a way of getting under her skin when half the time he was not even trying to do so. In the case of the new orange shirt, Sora had complained that while she thought a bright orange often looked good on Taichi, it suited his personality in fact she was convinced. She was worried however, that a sporty shirt matching her hair would make her look a little silly. Taichi, of course, contested this starting that it would just bring more attention to her hair color, which was one of Sora's best features, as he put it. Sora could clearly picture Taichi pouting with his arms crossed as if he were eleven again. In truth, Sora had loved this shirt, but felt odd about wearing soccer style sportswear again after so many years and was honestly feeling a little self-conscious about pulling the look off. She was still in great shape, even she would not deny that, but those intense years of sports were, for the time being at least, behind her now. This was something that she had chosen to give up, in part to strengthen her relationship with her mother, and yet internally, she missed the field from time to time. And while Taichi no longer tried to push her for it, she felt as though this semi-spontaneous gift was a quiet hope of his, that she would accept an offer to play soccer again, even if just casually. Not that there was such a thing as a casual match when it came to Yagami Taichi. She had laughed to herself upon finding the shirt in her dresser.

However, that memory was quickly soured by the reminder that the group, as well as herself up until that morning, would not approve of her wearing a shirt so strongly associated with the leader of the Digidestined. She brushed aside a rouge tear escaping as she tucked the shirt back into its former hiding place. Heavily disheartened by the realization, she lost any drive she might have had to play fashionista, which was perhaps for the best as she was swiftly running out of time to get ready. She grabbed a thin red long sleeve shirt with a shadowed imaged of the of the New York City skyline printed on the front, as well as a pair of loose fit blue jeans from her bottom drawer. Only upon reflection, did she determine to instead grab a pair of black athletic pants as she had no idea how the afternoon would turn out at this rate, or where it would lead her. She was still doing her best not to contemplate the Taichi situation too much for the moment at least. Sora knew she needed to formulate a plan of action, but so far this morning, any attempt to do so simply brought her imprisoned anxiety bubbling to the surface. Instead she resolved to designate today to observation. Now that her seething anger at Taichi had dissipated following her other-worldly dream, Sora felt she could inspect the group's situation with a fresh perspective. In fact, upon reflection her former self had appeared to be almost possessed with rage, furthermore she was struggling to breakdown why the situation made her quite as mad as it did. Taichi shouldn't have spoken to Meiko like that of course, especially given the girl's fragile state. But she also knew nobody had been willing to hear his side of the story, including his sister, and that alone spoke to how serious the situation had been. Compounding her concern further was the fact, that her dream had reminded Sora that she helped push him into this situation at the outset. In her anger Sora had not ever stopped to consider that perhaps she had a part to play in her best friend's dilemma. It gave her a pounding headache just to think about the possibility, she simply was not sure. All she knew was she had to talk to Taichi soon, but first she would speak to the others and see if she could defuse their anger just a little bit. And if she could just reach Meiko…

Suddenly her mother's voice broke her concentration for a second time this morning, this time however it felt far less like a saving grace.

"Sora your escort for this morning's walk to school has arrived" She chirped in a loud and clear tone as if she were the announcer for the Odaiba monorail line.

Sora cursed internally and signed heavily to herself for the umpteenth time since waking up. She was not prepared to face the day or the conflict that plagued their group, yet she was resigned to not put the matter on hold for a single day. If she was suffering now, Sora imagined that Taichi, and Meiko for that matter were far worse off. Especially if Hikari was giving her brother a silent cold shoulder treatment as Sora had heard from Takeru. It was not unusual for siblings to fight; however, it was extremely unusual for Yagami Hikari and Yagami Taichi to not have one another's backs in any even half-serious matter. The concept left a nauseous pit in Sora's stomach.

"Come on dear or the two of you will be running not walking." An impatience now lined her mother's voice.

"Sorry mom, I will be right out" Sora called through the door. "Please tell Yamato I'm sorry for making him wait."

Once again, she heard her mother's footsteps echo down the hallway. At that moment Sora rushed to finish her uniform's red bowtie, not having the time to check for evenness. She straightened her sky-blue blazer and flattened out her dark blue skirt. Without another glance into the mirror, annoyed that she simply would not be satisfied at this point, Sora rushed to her messy bed, and unceremoniously shoved her after school clothing into the small red gym bag laying aside her black school satchel. Nearly leaving her phone behind Sora scooped up her bags, still unzippered in a few places, and burst through her bedroom door, leaving it open and swaying gently behind her.

Half sprinting through her family's cozy middle class Odaiba apartment, Sora could begin to make out the voices of Yamato and her mother engaged in gentle small talk. Something to do with the boy's post-graduation plans so far as she could tell. Turning towards the apartments entranceway she was hit by a small burst of fresh spring air blowing into their high rise. Their heavy wooden door was currently wide open, and Sora's bloodshot eyes instinctively reacted to the morning sunshine. Briefly hiding her face behind her free wrist, she groaned as her pupils painfully contracted to shelter themselves from the excess light. This expression was clearly louder than she had anticipated, as her mother who was standing halfway in the doorway, as well as the shadow leaning up against the balcony both simultaneously broke off their conversation and snapped their gazes though the open door in Sora's direction. She wanted to play off her exhaustion, but with her eyes still adjusting to the outside world, she did not have to see their faces to imagine their confused if not slightly concerned reactions, as she stumbled towards the door, school bags in hand.

Sora felt a hand reach out and help steady her movements, she could tell from the grip that it was Yamato. She had not seen him approach, but at some point, he must have stepped into the apartment. She was embarrassed by the need, but grateful for the gesture.

"Sora dear, are you sure you are feeling ok?" Her mother asking with greater concern now. "Perhaps you should stay home today?"

"I'm alright mom, just had a bit of a rough night's sleep. I'll feel better after our walk to school I'm sure!" The statement felt like a lie to Sora, but she did her best to reassure her mother with a sleepy smile.

"I will make sure Sora takes it easy today Ms. Takenouchi" She heard Yamato fire quickly, backing up her efforts.

Now that her vision had time to acclimate, Sora could see her mother's gaze was jumping between the two teens with an indeterminable expression. After a moment she silently relented with a small nod, clearly more directed at Yamato.

Sora turned towards Yamato with the same fatigued smile, grateful for his support. He returned the gesture with a cautious smile blanketing his concern. It was in that moment that Sora realized that his outreached hand was still gripping firmly at her upper arm. It appeared Yamato had also forgotten the placement of his arm, and pulled his hand away, now nervously wringing his hand and wrist, and looking down at the floor.

"Sorry" He offered barely above a whisper.

Sora dropped her school bags hastily by the step up to their apartment where her family kept their shoes. She plopped down on the step with the same grace and elegance as her bags. She grabbed her school shoes from their compartment and had them on her feet in less than a minute despite her tired fumbling. When she finished Yamato offered her a hand up, which she gladly took. Once again, she did her best to straighten out her uniform before grabbing her school bags.

Yamato Gestured towards the door, they were cutting it far closer than usual. Sora quickly turned to her mother.

"I'm sorry about this morning Mom, I love you" She stated with raw emotion in her voice, clearly exasperated by her current mental state.

"Nice to see you again Ms. Takenouchi" Yamato followed a little stiffly, the dynamic still clearly made him feel awkward.

"Have a good day you two!" Her mother responded cheerfully. "And Sora please be careful today, you should come home and rest after school."

Sora did not response to this but opted to wave goodbye. Her mother would not be happy to discover that she had no intention of calling it an early night, far too much lay ahead of her today for that.

Sora and Yamato were fast to leave her apartment and make their way to the nearest elevator platform. Fortunately for them, it took mere seconds for their lift to arrive and they hustled into the empty elevator. Once inside Yamato pressed the ground floor button, and Sora leaned on the railing facing away from the building, and exhaled, she found herself sweating far too easily in the warm spring air.

The hand that landed on her shoulder just then deeply startled her. She should have known it was Yamato of course, it couldn't have been anyone else, yet her thoughts were scattered, and she felt lightheaded. She turned to face her boyfriend's gaze, he looked hurt by her reaction.

"Sora, I was willing to play along when we were talking to your mother, but I don't think I've ever seen you like this before. What the hell is going on?"

"I'm sorry Yama" She blurted out as if catching her breath. There was no point in lying to him now, she should have known. "I had a dream, a really messed up dream last night."

He studied her face with a quizzical concentration. Displaying a rather unusual reaction when she said the word dream, but Sora couldn't quite read what he was thinking. There was no mocking in his expression though, simply concern.

"It was just so real." She continued in a grave tone. "I haven't been so afraid since we faced the dark masters so many years ago. Everyone was…and you…that thing…and Taichi" She sputtered quickly with a chill down her spine only to pause for a moment in silent contemplation. After staring at the ground for a few seconds, she opened her mouth to speak again. As if on que the elevator sounded off, and the heavy metal doors slowly peeled open. The two teens gave no reaction, hardly even noticing the pinging of the elevator, they stood their ground.

"Was I a bad part of this nightmare?" He asked softly with clear hesitation. When the elevator doors began to close, he swiftly put an arm out to block them. Yamato could tell that to Sora, this was serious, he was not about to rush her out the door.

He was shocked to hear her next sentence was racked with held back tears and sudden intense emotion. "It was so much more than that, it's complicated…I'm sorry Yama I just can't talk about this right now." She plead with a shaky voice.

He nodded reassuringly to her, and guided Sora out of the elevator. Sora went initiate their walk to school when Yamato, as gently as possible, took her by the wrist and brought her by the gardens attached to her apartment building. The gardens consisted of a few rows of flowers, small trees, and hedges, complete with a modest water feature. At this early hour the spot was surely deserted.

"Yamato, we need to get to class!" Sora resisted, clearly distressed.

He ignored this and set her down on a nearby bench, out of sight of passersby. "Sora, Joe's not around to ask, and you know I'm no medical expert" he hesitated again. "But I think you might be experiencing a panic attack."

Putting down his backpack, he pulled out a reusable water bottle, and pushed it into her right hand.

She looked at the bottle in her hand. "But I've never had one before in my life, why would some stupid dream…"

He cut her off suddenly. "I have no idea, but please Sora, take a drink and breath…your scaring me."

She did as he asked and after a few moments, she could feel her senses return to her. It was as if she had just woken up for yet another dream.

"Look, I've been keeping my mouth shut for the last several weeks." He began abruptly, returning her attention to the boy sitting beside her now. "It is time we did something about the Taichi Situation. I know you and the group are still mad, hell I was for a little while, but this must come to an end. Whether you admit it or not, I would not be surprised if this dream is somehow related."

Sora gazed at him in astonishment. She wasn't alone in this morning's revelation and suddenly the dam broke, and her overwhelming sense of relief turned to a stream of burning tears.


End file.
